Canadian Candy: 11 Sweets You Can’t Get this Side of the Border

October 13, 2010

For Canadian expats living in the U.S., Halloween can be a painful reminder of all the sweet snacks of their youth that remain largely unavailable this side of the border. Some of them stock up when they go home and smuggle their favorite goodies back. Others order online from sites like Canadiansweet.com and Bellamiacandy.com.

As the resident Canadian here at Fork in the Road, I thought I’d round up 11 of my favorite sweets from home that I won’t be able to enjoy this Halloween.

11. Glossettes: OK, so they’re raisins. But that makes these chocolate-covered rabbit dropping-sized niblets practically healthy. Although, considering they get their name from the “gloss” of the chocolaty coating, they probably aren’t so much.

10. Maltesers: These little malted balls covered in milk chocolate look just like their American cousins, Whoppers, but true connoisseurs will tell you that the coating on Maltesers is thicker and the center just that much maltier. Plus, the lewder name.

9. Wunderbar: It’s pretty much a Butterfinger. But the Canadian version, like any Brit or Canadian will tell you, is better because it’s made by Cadbury, a smaller big confectioner that Nestle. The chocolate is sweeter and the bright orange peanutty center peanuttier.

Sweet Sweet Marie.

8. Caramilk: This 40-plus-year-old Cadbury brand has been peddled for decades with a slogan about unlocking “the Caramilk secret” to how they get the gooey caramel inside the little Hershey Bar-like squares. Worked for me.

7. Mr. Big: The name says it all. They sell mini Halloween versions of this bad boy, but what’s the point? It’s known and named for being the biggest candy bar Cadbury makes, comprising layers of vanilla wafer, caramel, peanuts, and rice crisps for a satisfying textural experience.

6. Sweet Marie: Much like a Mr. Big, Sweet Marie is huge. The taste profile is also very similar: it too has rice crisps, peanuts, and caramel, but chewy nougat in lieu of crispy wafer gives it (and perhaps, eventually, you) even more weight.
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Bubbly goodness.

5. Aero Bar: This bar of simple milk chocolate filled with nothing but air bubbles feels lighter than most candy bars, but in fact has about as many calories. Nestle came out with mint, orange, and “crunch” versions of this bar, but as a purist I prefer the original.

4. Crispy Crunch: Yes, this is similar to a Wunderbar, which is similar to a Butterfinger, but, true to its name, the Crispy Crunch is, well, crunchier. It was sold briefly in the United States in the 90s, but never earned a fan base like it has in Canada.

3. Coffee Crisp: A lengthy and impassioned petition to bring this 60-year-old brand to the U.S. succeeded in 2006. But it looks like no one save expats are eating the coffee-hinted chocolate-covered wafers because they haven’t been visibly marketed here since then.

1. Crunchie: For some reason, the Americans I know who have tried it hate this candy bar. And, in fact, the signature golden wrapper can be found in certain pockets of this country. But, for me, the honeycombed wafer enveloped in Cadbury milk chocolate – especially in the mini bite size – is the taste of Halloween, circa 1989.

If I missed your favorite or listed a sweet you find repulsive, let me know. Oh, and if you happen to spot any of these in the greater New York City area, let me know that, too, eh?